Mayor Kevin Mack described the incident of a large tree toppling into a gully on a still day and its root system rupturing the water main as a “freak of nature”.

Cr Mack conceded there remained a high number of trees in the Thurgoona-Wirlinga corridor despite the recent population explosion in the area and they would be located near water and communication infrastructure.

“We don't anticipate it happening again,” he said.

“With all the rain we've had in the last two to three weeks, the ground is wet again and the tree decided it would just fall over.

“We will be looking at all our lines and their proximity to tree lines.

“But it doesn't happen every day.”

The major interruption to the water supply to homes in Thurgoona Park, Fairway Gardens and the Kerr Road area was rectified about 10pm on Thursday.

The initial rupture was detected via council's regular monitoring systems.

An estimated 500 homes were impacted by the outage with 300 experiencing reduced water flow and 200 having supply cut.

Cr Mack paid tribute to council staff for their prompt efforts.

“The staff worked above and beyond and sometimes we take that for granted,” he said.

“Maybe they were on overtime, but it was a difficult job they had to do. The line was flushed again this morning to ensure there was no debris still in there.”

Council hasn't calculated the damage bill but Cr Mack said it would be covered within the maintenance budget.

One Thurgoona resident said: “It made things challenging with three young kids, including an eight-month-old who needed water for bottles.

“It's not pleasant when you can't flush the toilet. 

“But it's no one's fault.

“We could see the workers there on Thurgoona Drive working late into the night.”